Oliver Bearman slams "scum of the earth" abuse of Kimi Antonelli as FIA steps in

Oliver Bearman has condemned the online abuse received by fellow rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli following the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. Branding those who sent abuse to the Mercedes driver as "scum of the earth", he adds yet another voice to those in support of the Italian.

Antonelli was subjected to a wave of social media abuse and hate following the Losail race, where a mistake allowed Lando Norris to overtake. This moment became the focus of intense criticism from fans of the championship, who wrongly saw this as a purposeful move to allow the title contender past.

Bearman, like many drivers, has seen similar abuse online.

"I didn't face that level of criticism, but that comes as part of being in a team like Haas rather than Mercedes. So, you know, there's also a benefit of starting your career in a team like Haas. You're a bit less in the limelight,” he explained. “You have the possibility to make mistakes and be less criticised for those.”

He didn't hold back in his assessment of those involved.

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"I think generally it's always the case that people behind the screen are horrible and they're scum of the earth, really. I don't think they should be doing that type of stuff to someone,” he said, before adding that this level of abuse can be especially difficult for rookies to digest.

“I understand that people who've been in F1 for a very long time can get used to it and people who are rookies, it may be their first experience having that type of criticism, but that criticism is an absolute joke. It shouldn't be tolerated and I know the FIA are doing everything they can to stop that, but the problem is these sad people giving those types of criticisms. It's a joke.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

“We're putting our lives on the line to entertain people and to give the people who are passionate for the sport a good time and you have people like that who are just hurting people and that's not just racing, that's also their personal life and I just think people are terrible. The real people of the world are terrible.”

In the wake of this abuse, the FIA released a statement of support for the Mercedes driver while Red Bull's Helmut Marko apologised for blaming the driver for letting Norris pass purposefully.

"I took another close look at the footage," he told F1-Insider. "The first time, Antonelli could have held his ground a little better [as Oscar Piastri passed him into Turn 1]. The second time, it was a driving error and not intentional. I'm sorry that Antonelli got so much flak online. To clarify once again: he didn't let Norris pass on purpose."

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